Sidewinder
Super Freak
Not always the best thing to have read the source material before the show.
3 Body Problem - Netflix March 2024
- Thread starter Sixth Scale Man
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Binged this over the weekend. I never read the books so went in completely cold and without pre-expectations. It’s a very intriguing and interesting story that leans more into hard science—something we don’t get a lot of these days.
I didn’t know that this would be a “Season 1” primarily based on Book 1 of the trilogy until I realized around episode 5 that the pacing and character development didn’t seem to be on track to tell an entire story in 8 episodes. Again I didn’t know the source material, but the setup is huge and the table stakes were still being put in place. That’s when I checked and confirmed it was indeed S1, which actually took pressure off the viewing experience. That said, it does create two concerns.
#1: Benioff and Weiss: I will never forgive them for crash landing GOT after season 5. However, i figure they’ve paid their penance so am willing to give them a second shot. The books are complete so they won’t be making up a new story, and after watching the “making of” vignettes I think a lot of the changes they and the show runner made to the adaptation have been good choices both for storytelling and to appeal to a broader audience.
#2: Netflix: They are notorious for pulling the plug on series after a season or two. I’ve been burned by that once before. I haven’t checked, but this is one of those deals that should have been a 3-season guarantee.
Pros:
High Stakes: global level storytelling, balanced with personal characters
Science: leans into much more realistic hard science. Sure they’re making up things and pushing a lot into theoretical science, but that also works with the sense of desperation.
Very good cast: especially Liam Cunningham and Benedict Wong. Also cool to see Rosalind Chao from Star Trek TNG/DS9 who did a nice job.
Terrific set pieces: including one of the most imaginative sequences I’ve ever seen done for a show or movie
Production Design: Overall good
Cons:
Pacing: meanders from time to time.
Script: a bit uneven. Some parts needed tightening for clarity or character development. Some parts needed more time to breathe, expand ideas, or connect to the overall story.
EFX: a bit of a mixed bag. Most effects were pretty seamless, and there was quite a bit of practical. However, some scenes looked very green screen and one fully CGI character looked very outdated. Not enough to take me out of the story however.
Props: the design of the main prop (as seen in the trailers) just comes across as somewhat cheap and underwhelming. However, it’s a pretty tough challenge and I’m sure they experimented with a ton of designs before landing where they did.
Scale: while the scale of the story is definitely global, some of the sets and locations felt small. One would expect to have a huge teams and multiple international agencies working on this initiative. Maybe that will be expanded upon in future seasons.
S1 Overall Score: 7.75/10
Hopefully this will get S2/S3 if not contractually guaranteed. I am planning to read the books regardless. I also know there’s a Chinese adaptation from Tencent that was done a few years ago, so I may check that out as well.
I didn’t know that this would be a “Season 1” primarily based on Book 1 of the trilogy until I realized around episode 5 that the pacing and character development didn’t seem to be on track to tell an entire story in 8 episodes. Again I didn’t know the source material, but the setup is huge and the table stakes were still being put in place. That’s when I checked and confirmed it was indeed S1, which actually took pressure off the viewing experience. That said, it does create two concerns.
#1: Benioff and Weiss: I will never forgive them for crash landing GOT after season 5. However, i figure they’ve paid their penance so am willing to give them a second shot. The books are complete so they won’t be making up a new story, and after watching the “making of” vignettes I think a lot of the changes they and the show runner made to the adaptation have been good choices both for storytelling and to appeal to a broader audience.
#2: Netflix: They are notorious for pulling the plug on series after a season or two. I’ve been burned by that once before. I haven’t checked, but this is one of those deals that should have been a 3-season guarantee.
Pros:
High Stakes: global level storytelling, balanced with personal characters
Science: leans into much more realistic hard science. Sure they’re making up things and pushing a lot into theoretical science, but that also works with the sense of desperation.
Very good cast: especially Liam Cunningham and Benedict Wong. Also cool to see Rosalind Chao from Star Trek TNG/DS9 who did a nice job.
Terrific set pieces: including one of the most imaginative sequences I’ve ever seen done for a show or movie
Production Design: Overall good
Cons:
Pacing: meanders from time to time.
Script: a bit uneven. Some parts needed tightening for clarity or character development. Some parts needed more time to breathe, expand ideas, or connect to the overall story.
EFX: a bit of a mixed bag. Most effects were pretty seamless, and there was quite a bit of practical. However, some scenes looked very green screen and one fully CGI character looked very outdated. Not enough to take me out of the story however.
Props: the design of the main prop (as seen in the trailers) just comes across as somewhat cheap and underwhelming. However, it’s a pretty tough challenge and I’m sure they experimented with a ton of designs before landing where they did.
Scale: while the scale of the story is definitely global, some of the sets and locations felt small. One would expect to have a huge teams and multiple international agencies working on this initiative. Maybe that will be expanded upon in future seasons.
S1 Overall Score: 7.75/10
Hopefully this will get S2/S3 if not contractually guaranteed. I am planning to read the books regardless. I also know there’s a Chinese adaptation from Tencent that was done a few years ago, so I may check that out as well.
abake
Rex Tremendae Majestatis
Being a huge Sci-Fi fan I was surprised at not digging the book... it was highly recommended by my brother, so I had great expectations, but it really failed to capture my imagination. Might try reading the other two books, apparently the story picks up considerably.
As for the series, again, it was sort of meh for me. I really didn´t like the changes to Wong's character, he was one of the most compelling ones in the book.
As for the series, again, it was sort of meh for me. I really didn´t like the changes to Wong's character, he was one of the most compelling ones in the book.
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I've had the book for a while but it's slow going for me; just finished season 1 and looking forward to season 2, it was a pleasant surprise with some great acting. The whole thing feels a bit like a comic, something Image would print. Not a bad thing.
Once again, glad to have experienced some entertainment and not hated it or felt compelled to pick it apart. There's hope for me yet.
Once again, glad to have experienced some entertainment and not hated it or felt compelled to pick it apart. There's hope for me yet.
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